WESTERN BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. -- Snake hunters went into the Everglades on Friday, day one of an effort to eradicate Burmese pythons from the area.

More than 100,000 pythons are believed to be living and breeding in the Everglades. Pythons are not native to Florida, and they have no natural predators in the state.

"We found that they're eating pretty much anything out here -- dozens of species of birds and mammals. This is a serious problem, and as you know, the Everglades has a number of threatened and endangered species," said Everglades biologist Dave Hallac.

Three men, experienced in handling snakes, were the first to be licensed by the state to hunt and kill pythons found in the wild. The men boarded an air boat Friday morning with Florida Fish & Wildlife managers to head deep into the Everglades to search for pythons.

"It's probably going to be very difficult to find them. Certain times of the year are going to be better, when it's cooler, when the animals are out trying to catch sunlight, versus warmer periods when they're going to be hiding," said Gregg Graziani, who was among the first to be licensed.

Michael Cole and Shawn Heflick are the other two hunters who have been licensed by the state. The three men have a combined 88 years of experience in handling snakes and other reptiles.

"The only thing we're requesting is a digital picture. We're requesting the stomach contents of the python, the size and the GPS of where they caught them," said Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Chairman Rodney Barreto.

Biologists hope the information will help experts better understand the creatures and reveal new ways to lead to eradicate the species from the Everglades.

"The animals will be euthanized on sight. These animals will not go back into the pet trade," Graziani said.

First Python Found, Euthanized

The hunters' first airboat ride into the Everglades Friday was intended to be nothing more than a snake survey, but it quickly became a hunt when snake handlers picked off their first python.

"It just shows you the proliferation of these snakes in the Everglades," Barreto said.

The python was estimated to be three or four years old, most likely born in the wild, and it had grown an impressive 9 feet 8 inches long.

Clearly, the animal was not malnourished and could do a lot of damage to native species, experts said.

“We need to protect the native wildlife and we need to eradicate pythons. Pythons have no enemies. Think about that -- that snake will take on a 10-foot alligator," Barreto said.

The experience snake handlers were able to kill the first python quickly and simply. All they did was make a cut behind the brain, severing the brain cortex and the spinal cord.

After that, FWC officers tried to determine what the snake had been feeding on.

"Actually, all we found in the stomach and lower intestine was rat hair and a little bit of rat bones," Heflick said.

Python Hunt Begins After Snake Kills Toddler

The problem with pythons has long been traced to pet owners who dump the snakes into the wild after realizing that they can grow up to 26 feet long and weigh up to 200 pounds.

Two weeks ago, a 2-year-old girl in Central Florida was strangled by a pet python that escaped from its cage.

The new move to hunt wild snakes is only the beginning of what Florida wildlife officers consider a complex but necessary solution.

The python hunting program is in its first phase and will last for three months. If proven successful, the program will be expanded to allow for more licensed hunters, but as of now, only 10 can be licensed under state law.